bridging the everyday to the global effects on our environment

What’s in Your Toothpaste? Different Types of Animal-Free Toothpaste

Ever since starting to eat vegan food, I’ve been on a learning curve of progressive knowledge absorption, finding out so many products I din’t consider to have any animal ingredients, in fact, may have (sweets, alcohol…).

Except from food, I have also been choosing health&beauty products that are vegan, such as face creams, deodorants, body lotions, shower gels, soaps and toothpaste.

I once got a toothpaste from Holland and Barrett and researched one of the ingredients which had a baffling name: it turned out to be an ingredient derived from shellfish…! So not only quite unusual, but definitely not vegan and perhaps not suitable for those who get bad reactions from shellfish (not sure about it being possible from toothpaste quantities, but still…). It certainly made me want to know what’s in toothpaste even more.

I have tried a few vegan brands so far, here are their main features…

dr. organic Aloe Vera Toothpaste

According to the box: Dr. Organic Aloe Vera toothpaste is with silica (natural whitener) , Icelandic moss (natural whitener) and horse chestnut (for natural gum health) – but that is the only horsey ingredient, as it’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike “beef” burgers a while ago…

In addition, all Dr Organic products are against animal testing.

The Aloe Vera is a natural soothing gel and peppermint and menthol are added for a natural mint flavour.

I was positively biased from the start as it’s made in New Zealand. Positively because some of my best friends are from NZ, not because of the air miles, obviously. I don’t think I will purchase it again while on this side of the world…

Benefits listed on the box include:

Anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant Totarol from a New Zealand Totara Tree;
Essential oils of aniseed, basil, clove buds, eucalyptus, orange, peppermint, rose, rosemary, spearmint and thyme;
Enamel-friendly chalk and ore of zinc oxide help remove stains, prevent plaque build up and tartar deposit;
No added fluoride – as we should get all the fluoride we need from dietary sources – interesting, huh?

It also added: “Brush whenever you want your breath to feel at its most intimate best”. Ha! Toothpaste with personality!

Since last year I actually stopped buying toothpaste (this post has been a mental draft for a long time).

As part of my gradual transition to a zero-waste life, I have in fact been making my own toothpaste at home. And, as you can tell by the prices of toothpaste such as those I tried, it saved me a considerable amount of money.

I first heard about making toothpaste at home from Lauren Singer’s TIFT = Trash Is For Tossers, my guide for picking up habits to produce no polluting waste.

If you’d like further information about the horrible chemicals you can avoid by making your own toothpaste, as well as a video showing how easy and quick it is to make, check Lauren’s blog post “Why I make my own toothpaste“.

The ingredients are very accessible and easy to find: coconut oil, which can be used in sooo many ways, so buying some is definitely worth it; baking soda (which apparently is what bicarbonate of soda is in the UK) and essentail oil of choice – I have been using mint.

Put the ingredients into a reusable jar – I reused one that was given to me with jam in as a present – mix. That’s it. You have made toothpaste.
Spoon your money-saving, no-odd ingredient toothpaste onto a toothbrush.
Brush your teeth.
Yay!

Home-made toothpaste

Taste: sometimes slightly salty, though easy to get used to, minty (or whatever the flavour of essential oil you choose: spearmint, cinnamon…)

Price: a small fraction of the price of shop-bought toothpaste.

Packaging: potentially packaging-free, in my case a lot less compared to buying tubes and boxes of toothpaste over and over.

I have also been using bamboo toothbrushes – I tried ones from savesomegreen – as part of my attempt to minimise my use of polluting plastic.

I told my dentist I have been making my own toothpaste and he said that’s fine, though he added “it would be good if you used a fluoride toothpaste a couple of times a week”. It seems like dentists’ opinion will differ according to their training and personal views.

I’ve been happy about the switch, would you give making toothpaste a go?